About

SORCERER

$392,050

pledged of $100,000 goal

4,604

backers

Sorcerer is a 2-4 player dark fantasy game from the creators of Star Realms. This new character building game combines the best elements of a strategy card game and a tactical board game to create a whole new play experience!

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Pledge for the $45 Apprentice tier and you will get the Sorcerer base game plus all unlocked Stretch Goals!

Pledge for the $75 Sorcerer tier and you will get the Sorcerer base game, all six expansion packs and all unlocked Stretch Goals!

Unlock Thenoch – the final Stretch Goal!

All Social Stretch Goals Have Been Unlocked!

The Sorcerer Tier does not include sleeves, but does come with these Character, Lineage or Domain expansion packs. The 300 Sorcerer Sleeves is enough for every card that goes in your deck including all the add-ons and stretch goals!

See Update #6 for more details and images of the extra Player Boards and Egyptian Battlefields.

We also have add-ons for Star Realms, Hero Realms and Epic available. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see all those goodies!

The World of Sorcerer

Welcome to a dark Victorian world where the fire and smoke of industry blacken the sky.

Here there is a border between two worlds; the worlds of reality and the unknown - a border which is slowly disintegrating, as faith in higher powers is pushed into the shadows by man's acceptance of technology. Across the border of the mortal realm lies Limbo: where dark gods, mythical monsters and fantastic creatures have been imprisoned for centuries.

But the sorcerers, the offspring of the dark gods and mortals, escaped the great purge. They wait for their opportunity to regain their former strength.

Now, as the border has all but completely dissolved, and the two worlds collapse together, the sorcerers return to take their rightful place; their power far greater than any army.

Game Overview

At the start of the game, each player will create a unique sorcerer by combining one of the 4 Character Decks (which shows who you are) with one of the 4 Lineage Decks, (which represents the style of magic you inherited) and one of the 4 Domain Decks (which reveal where you honed your magical powers).

Shuffle those cards together to form your Grimoire, which contains your dark magic and evil minions and you are ready to play!

Each deck also comes with a skill card. Together, they show your true name.
For example, you might be Ariaspes the Demonologist of the Outcast Sanctuary.

There are 64 possible deck combinations in the base game alone, each with a unique blend of skills and game cards. Every different match-up provides an exciting new game experience! If you want an even greater variety of possible sorcerers, just add on Character, Lineage and Domain expansion decks.

Each turn of the game, players alternate spending actions to play spells, draw cards, gain energy, or play minions.

There are three different battlefields in the game (representing different sections of Victorian London). When you play a minion, you must decide which battlefield to put it in. It will only be able to fight and use its abilities in that battlefield. If you later decide you need it elsewhere, you may spend an action to move it to a neighboring battlefield.

After all player actions have been spent, minions do battle, rolling combat dice equal to their power, damaging or destroying enemy minions or even capturing the battlefield itself. If you capture 2 of the 3 battlefields, you win the game!

Character Decks

The Sorcerer base game comes with four Character Decks, four Domain Decks, and four Lineage Decks. Each has a unique set of cards and grants you a different skill you will be able to use during the game.

Each deck also has its own cohesive game mechanics and a rich backstory.

Each sorcerer is born with the blood legacy of an Old God running through their veins. Their power doesn't appear from when they are born, however; they must go through the awakening - a tortuous turning point in the sorcerer’s life, when their mind and body embrace the magical energy flux that exists in the aether between time and space.

Since childhood, Ariaspes was raised in India by his uncle, a master alchemist and loyal member of Thuggees, an organized group of professional assassins.

Ariaspes saw behind the curtain of the mortal realm after he was stabbed and left for dead. He awoke surrounded by unknown and hideous shadow figures, as a terrible blood magic ritual began. Delusions, followed by unbearable pain, caused Ariaspes' awakening.

The strange shadow entities possessed his soul and made Ariaspes a living vessel. Now, he gathers within his essence the darkest remnants of the souls of his victims, transforming them into his shadow warriors.

As Ariaspes, you will be a master of weaponry and shadow, able to search your Grimoire (deck) for attachment cards and shadow minions!

As a child, Miselda heard strange whispers and melodies coming from the ocean near her coastal home. She dreamed of strange, magical places buried at the bottom of the ocean.

Miselda was a young maiden when her awakening occurred. She dressed in her brother’s clothes, pretending to be a man, and followed her younger brother on a whaling expedition.

The expedition, formed by two ships, was entrapped in the heart of a devastating storm. The ships were torn apart, and Miselda was dragged into the darkest depths of the ocean. Gripped by a mysterious force in those dark depths, her awakening was upon her. Her body and her mind were bound there and then to a most ancient being.

She became the eyes and the voice of an ancient titan imprisoned in the deepest depths of the ocean aeons ago.
She never stops searching for the mysterious glyphs across the mortal realm which can break the prison‘s seals that binds her master.

Miselda can control sea life and alter the tides. She is able to possess her enemy by inducing unspeakable visions, and uttering mind-shattering whispers and melodies. She is often accompanied by humanoid aquatic species like Mermen and Sirens, which can exist on the surface due to Miselda's power.

As Miselda, you'll nullify opposing minions, washing away their powers or exhausting them so they are unable to attack!

Tegu´s awakening occurred during Genghis Khan‘s push to unify the nomadic tribes. As a war chief, Tegu defeated many enemies, but even he could not stand against the darkness.

During a cold night in Khwarezmia, Tegu woke from a terrible nightmare, paralyzed in his bed by an unknown force. Strewn across his tent all around him were the massacred bodies of all his women and guards.

Then Tegu saw his nightmare face to face; a hideous winged ash demon with smoldering eyes and body. It was a collector of pain and sacrifices, created in ancient times to be a servant of the man-eaters.

The ash demon‘s form was slowly fading away throughout the ages, and it needed a strong body to possess to continue its existence. A body able to survive this forced awakening.

From that day forth, Tegu was known as a despotic, sadistic, and cruel warlord. He tortured many mortals; women and children were no exception, just to collect as much pain and fear as he could get from them.

As Tegu, you will gain strength from the suffering of others! You will be able to weaken opposing minions while healing your own and drawing cards.

Zevrane's awakening occurred after his death.

He and his family died during the Jamestown Massacre in the colony of Virginia in 1622. After he died, Zevrane found himself in a labyrinth full of radiant gems chiseled with haunting face-like shapes.

He found there strange glyphs carved on the walls and a small settlement of a mysterious, savage species. They began to chant, and he fell into a catatonic state, in which he saw all the dimensions in the multiverse laid out before him.

When he awoke, the glyphs from the walls circled around him in a glowing vortex and the foreign tribesmen were feasting on his body while continuing to mumble their chant. Their ritual severed his ties to time and space, transforming him into the Seer of the Gates.

Over a period of nearly three centuries, Zevrane searched countless dimensions through the rift gates he could now control, till he finally found his native universe.

As Zevrane you will control dimensional gates, allowing you to summon minions at a reduced energy cost. Through your mastery of time you will gain omen tokens, allowing you to re-roll dice and modify your fate!

Lineage Decks

With this lineage you will be "The Necromancer".

The origin of this enigmatic order can be traced back to ancient Egypt. They have spent millennia studying the forbidden manuscripts and necromancy, allowing them to resurrect the dead from the realm of the Jackal.

As a Followers of Usir, you will be able to create powerful combos, managing your graveyard (discard pile) and creating a pool of zombies in it! Zombie minions possess a unique ability which allows them to be brought back into play from your graveyard.

With this lineage you will be "The Demonologist".

According to Legend, the Hellfire Cult was founded by Remus in the time of ancient Rome, who is said to have been raised by the beast itself. The Hellfire Cult is bound by elite gentility and consists of the upper echelon of mortal society.

The Hellfire Cult’s activities are riddled with bizarre rituals and perverse blood rites. Among them you'll find cultists, demons, and damned followers. They invoke and pray to the beast, and have studied demonology and the darkest of arts for centuries.

As a member of the Hellfire Cult, you will be able to distribute the flame tokens among opposing minions, which will damage them from turn to turn! You will also have several sorceries to manipulate with those tokens in other forms.

With this lineage you will be "The Bloodlord".

In the times of the first crusades, four powerful sorcerers imprisoned an elder god, hoping to steal his power and ascend to godhood themselves. Their ritual, however, went horribly wrong and they became cursed, addicted to the essence of the gods, the essences that flows in the veins of sorcerers. Each sorcerer they bite becomes afflicted with the same blood curse.

After the crusades, when most sorcerers had been exiled or gone into hiding, the four damned sorcerers, the Primarchs, fell into a state of hibernation for decades, waking to feed, then entering their great sleep once more.

While their masters sleep, their children, the cursed descendants, collect sorcerers‘ blood. In times of need it can be used to awaken the masters and fuel their power.

Through Keeper of Progeny cards you will gather blood into your Blood Pool. This blood may be spent to grant you various benefits like bonuses to a minion's attack or casting minions with their cost to cast lowered. Your deck also includes three powerful vampire legends which can have a critical impact on the flow of the battle!

Countless seasons ago, Oberon, king of the faeries, became obsessed with sorceries unknown. He could feel an ancient power just beyond his reach. In his unyielding search of this arcana, he performed rituals and sacrifices to a most ancient god, one that created things that crawl long before man stepped foot on this world.
These rituals twisted his mind and damned his soul, but he found the power he sought.

Banished from his fairy throne for his atrocities, Oberon became the king of insects, spiders, and other despicable vermin in his self-proclaimed, newly established kingdom.

With this lineage you will use your mind sculpting powers to transform cards from your opponen'ts hand and graveyard into arthropod tokens which will strengthen your minions and increase the power of your sorceries. As their options dwindle, your power will increase!

Domain Decks

In the time of the third crusade, a band of determined holy warriors sought refuge in a cave complex buried deep in the heart of the Holy Land. The crusaders soon realized their hiding place abounded with unimaginable unholy energy. It was the burial ground of a man-eater; a supernatural horror whose legacy and terrible power had consumed the once-holy temple.

The walls and pillars were protected by ancient geometrical signs, sealing in the man-eater – a seal broken by the crusaders. The warriors became the victims of that terrible force entrapped inside the cold chambers and temple halls, built by a civilization long forgotten. Possessed by this horrible defacing curse in exchange for great power, they were forever bound to that place.

With the Forgotten Temple as your domain, you will be able to heal your minions and force your opponent to discard cards!

The ancient woodlands of Ireland are full of mystical energy sources and twisted symmetry. One of them is the Monasternagalliaghduff Forest where the Black Hag was buried.

The townsfolk of Shanagolden in county Limerick speak of dreaded ghostly figures roaming the woodland and feasting on innocence. They whisper about the living corpses of exiled French Grenadiers who were buried alive there, animated skeletons guarding the forbidden sacristy, and radiant will’o’whisps luring people into the abandoned forest to fall into opened graves.

Some locals paint pagan protective symbols on their household doors and even on their faces believing they will keep them safe from the terrors of the forest.

As master of the Haunted Forest, you will lead powerful ghostly forces that will haunt and torment opposing minions while you gain Omen tokens allowing you to re-roll combat dice!

The slums district and tunnels under Paris were among the first places corrupted during the rise of the sorcerers. The wretched refugees of the slums in Court de Miracles were irradiated by energy bursting from dimensional rifts leading to limbo.

The poor souls became addicted to the energy sources within the tunnels under the city. Soon, they realized that bearing such great energy and power within their bodies comes at a terrible cost. The energy slowly leaking from their bodies is toxic, thus they have been given the sobriquet of plague bearers and outcasts.

The expendable minions of your Outcast Sanctuary will give you access to great power. Even in their death the energy leaking from their bodies can be used to power your sorcery!

The Greek Islands are home to many savage species, but the most formidable are the vicious Harpy tribes, united by Lamia, the child-eater. The high coastal cliffs are riddled with caves and tunnels, full of dead bodies, bones, and primordial wall paintings. The harpies are feral and cannibalistic flying beasts.

Many sailors and traders end their journey in those savage islands steeped in mysterious energy. The forests are full of ritual remains, altars, and sacrificial stone circles as harpies constantly invoke the prophecy of their zealous oracles.

Your dominion over the harsh landscape of Screaming Coast will give you the power to weaken and damage opposing minions!

Additional Character Decks

Raganhar Character Pack

This Kickstarter Exclusive* expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $6 add-on.

Contents:

10 card Raganhar Character Deck.

One skill card.

One Raganhar avatar standee

Raganhar was an anomaly, a fully-human child borne of sorcerer parents. A child that bore no power of his own. Ragahar's father, stricken with shame at his son's weakness, turned to dark rituals and dangerous incantations to try and awaken something within him.

The energy overwhelmed Raganhar, and the dark flames burned his body and face. The failed experiment left the boy near death, and his father abandoned his child in the forest to die.

Forest spirits took pity on the boy, and bound Ragahar's soul to the realm of nature, healing his body, awakening his power.

Raganhar knows nothing of his parents, and cares little for the affairs of humans. The powerful hunter spends his days communing with the natural world, a self proclaimed gardian of the forest.

As Raganhar you will be able call Spirit Wolf minions to your side, see into your opponent's hand, and exchange your minions for energy!

Virgiliu Character Pack

This expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $6 add-on.

Contents:

10 card Virgiliu Character Deck.

One skill card.

One Virgiliu avatar standee

Virgiliu was born to noble parentage in Wallachia in the summer of 1442. He became a proud and accomplished young man. His horse was always the fastest, and his sword the quickest. On his 20th birthday, Virgiliu, the newest member of the Chivalric Order of the Dragon pledged to bring his brothers the head of Mehmed the Conqueror. He was joined by another Dragon, also eager to bring down the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Virgiliu and Vlad Tepes rode towards their destiny.

Their assassination plan failed, and Virgiliu was captured. He spent three years in an Ottoman prison, enduring humiliation and torture. One stormy night, his jailers decided to amuse themselves by the use of hot coals. Virgiliu could not stand up to this latest cruelty in his weakened and starved form, and he ended the night close to death.

It was at this moment that Virgiliu's power awakened within him. A literal fire of vengeance. He incinerated his jailers, and escaped the burning prison, leaving no one alive.

Playing Virgiliu, you will burn your opponent's minions with your Pyromancy while searching your grimoire for your next deadly assault!

Additional Lineage Decks

Children Of Alysia Lineage Pack

This Kickstarter Exclusive* expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $9 add-on.

Contents:

20 Card Children of Alyisia Lineage Deck

One skill card

One Moon Phase card

One Moon Phase counter

One rules card

The French Canadian colonies of Acadia lived under the constant threat of raids from the nearby British colonies. The leader of one of the larger colonies, Aldric Martelpledge, vowed to stand against British tyranny. Martelpledge would fulfill his promise, but at a terrible price.

He sought an alliance with the native Mi'kmaq people, and on his return was caught in an early blizzard. Lost in the frozen wilderness for days, Martelpledge, starved and delirious, was granted a vision from Alyisia, the ancient and feral Goddess of the Hunt. He never spoke about what transpired there, but he returned to his colony a changed man.

Martelpledge now bore the curse, transforming him into Rougarou, a being of immense and raw power, that twisted and mutated from his human form. Rougarou shared his curse with many other colonists, turning them into fellow Children of Alyisia. Together, they slaughtered unsuspecting British soldiers by night.

Fearing devastating retaliation by the British, the leader of the Mi'kmaq implored Rougarou to stop. Rougarou took the Children of Alyisia far south, where this lineage spread in a raw and untamed land.

As a Child of Alyisia the power of your cards will change with the phases of the moon, and even take wolf-form yourself and attack directly with your sorcerer avatar!

Sylvanei Lineage Pack

This expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $10 add-on.

Contents:

20 Card Sylvanei Lineage Deck

One skill card

Five Tree-Kin double-sided token cards

Ten Root counters

One rules card

Drawing their power from an ancient woodland god, the Sylvanei have long laid claim to the deep forest of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

The Sylvanei are obsessed with humans, and have the reputation of stealing babies, or accepting gifts of babies stolen by witch cults that request the protections of the powerful naturomancers.

Often, stolen children are replaced by one of the tree-kin that is then raised by the human parents. Human essence is a valuable commodity in the Sylvan society, as it heightens the fertility of their magicks.

Sylvanei have many different forms. The Nym lure weary travelers into the forests. The demonic Bies act as defenders, or pack hunters. The Sylvanei are led by the elders, known as Mamuna.

With the Sylvanei Lineage deck you will armor your minions with root counters and summon Tree-Kin tokens which will later transform into deadly Tree Guardians!

Additional Domain Decks

Bloodsoaked Fjord Domain Pack

This expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $5 add-on.

Contents:

10 Card Bloodsoaked Fjord Domain Deck

1 Skill Card

Deep in the wild lands of ancient Norway and Scandinavia lie the graves of old gods. Remote fjords hold them buried forever under a sky of grace and beauty, where they remain undisturbed due to the diligence of their guardians.

Clans of brutish trolls roam the wilds, keeping the resting place of their masters clear of humans that would defile the area. Trolls are typically unintelligent, and they hold no real reverence for gods, but they are loyal to their task, which has remained the same for thousands of years.

Trolls can grow to an enormous size, but many just look like tall, ugly humans. They have the capacity to learn language, and have been known to trade with humans, but they are fiercely territorial, and take their role of protectors very seriously.

Your minions, the trolls of the Bloodsoaked Fjord, grow mad with battle rage. The more injured they and their opponents are, the harder they fight!

Witch Mountain Domain Pack

This Kickstarter Exclusive* expansion pack comes free in the Sorcerer Tier and is also available as a $5 add-on.

Contents:

10 Card Witch Mountain Domain Deck

One skill card

Centuries ago, deep in the Ural Mountains of Russia, lived the enigmatic witch, Baba Yaga. The curious witch considered herself the warden of all wildlife in the region. She was able to bring animals back to life on a whim, and even humans when it tickled her. There were rumors that she would raise the dead to dance for her amusement. Gruesome tales of her "Danse Macabre" lead local villagers to refer to Baba Yaga in hushed whispers as "Lady Death".

Though Baba Yaga vanished into story and myth, cults of witches took to the mountain, practicing her strange form of necromancy, giving the "Witch Mountain" a well-deserved reputation as a terrible place where death is by no means an eternal rest.

With the Witch Mountain Domain, you will perform rituals with your minions to draw cards and gain omen tokens!

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Project Notes

Shipping

We will be shipping to backers directly from fulfillment centers in The US, EU, Canada, Australia, and Asia.

When you pledge you will be charged for shipping ($11 for USA, $14 for EU and Canada, $20 for Australia, etc.). There is no additional shipping charge for add-ons or if you order multiple tiers.

Our goal is to get product to our backers as soon as possible. When product arrives at one of our fulfillment centers, we will begin the process of shipping to backers in that region without waiting for product to arrive at other hubs. This means that backers in some regions may receive product before backers in others.

*Kickstarter Exclusives

These are exclusive items for Kickstarter backers, with remaining stock available through conventions and special promotions only.
Kickstarter exclusives will eventually (in a year or two) be remade with new art for general sale.

The Kickstarter Exclusive version will be forever identifiable by its original art.

Nothing is final until it is printed.

We are still doing playtesting and development of these sets, so cards may change. All art, card text, and packaging pictured is subject to change. The final versions you receive may not exactly match what is pictured here.

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Risks and challenges

Components, including art and layout is subject to change before the final product ships.

With any printing, there is risk of delay in the proofing, printing or packing steps. With overseas printing there are additional possible delays from shipping and customs.

The estimated delivery date for this Kickstarter is June 2018, but please keep in mind this is just an estimate. We will work hard to ship your games on time, but our number one concern is that the games be awesome. If we have to delay delivery to improve the product, we will.